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Barcelona news: Denis will soon become the club’s top Suarez

By Rucker Haringey

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 26: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at Camp Nou on January 26, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 26: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Sociedad at Camp Nou on January 26, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /
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Denis Suarez is Barcelona’s next star

Right now, Luis Suarez holds the mantle as the best Suarez at Barcelona. That’s all going to change in just another year or two. Denis Suarez is coming on strong to be the La Liga club’s next giant star.

The Spanish midfielder put on an absolute show in yesterday’s 5-2 win against Real Sociedad. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder bagged an impressive brace to help his club earn a comfortable victory. His magical performance is only a precursor to what Suarez can bring to the club in future years.

The real challenge for Luis Enrique is to figure out how much playing time to get the younger Suarez in the short-term. At the moment, the Barca gaffer is giving him quite a bit of regular playing time in La Liga. The results to date have been mixed. Suarez has only managed a Whoscored.com player rating average of 6.58 in 17 league appearances.

Those statistics don’t exactly scream stardom. There’s a simple explanation for his struggles though. He’s simply playing out of position. Suarez’s play is restricted by being a part of Enrique’s midfield three.

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In truth, he’d be much better off playing further up the pitch. Unfortunately, the club’s three attacking spots are quite taken. Denis Suarez isn’t ready to knock Luis Suarez, Neymar or Lionel Messi out of their places in the starting XI. It’s only a matter of time before he knocks Luis out of his regular spot in the front three.

That’s much more of a compliment for Denis as opposed to an indictment of Luis. Remember, the Uruguayan forward has already reached 30 years of age. His football is very likely to decline over the next several years.

In sharp contrast, Denis’ performance should continue to improve. He’s still got several more years of development before he enters his prime playing years. Gradually, you’ll see him earn more and more time playing alongside Messi and Neymar.

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When he’s deployed up top, Barcelona fans are going to have an opportunity to see his true ability shine through. Once that happens, they’ll discover they have another world-class attacking option in the squad. Denis Suarez will take over for Luis Suarez before you know it.

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